Oh dear... I am sooooo sorry I totally forgot about this story. I have been really busy. I have just moved into my own flat and my life has been really hectic these past few weeks.

Again I'm sorry for anyone that was waiting on this chapter.

Here it is ... ENJOY.

Warning: this is quite a short chapter coz I've kinda forgotten what I was gonna write about... so bear with me people... it will pick up again

THANX!

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Brian just had to get out of the bus, away from Toni. He couldn't believe what she had said... I mean she had said 'dad'. Okay to some uncles that might be flattering to hear from a teenage niece. But not for Brian. He remembered what Toni had told him about David, and no way did he ever want to be associated to him.

Okay so he had gotten a little angry. But he had a right to... anything could have happened to her... she didn't really know this Donnie guy. Why couldn't she see that he was only protecting her. The way her real father should've done all these years. Well not her REAL father.. But David. That bastard.

He just had to clear his head.

He would go for a walk, calm down and then go back and face the music. Yeah... that was a good idea. Surely by then Toni would have cooled off too and would be ready to talk.

Hell he didn't want to talk to her now! If she was going to act like he was the bad guy, then she could forget it. If she was going to think of him like that... then maybe that is the way he should act.

He had made up his mind. He was going to take Toni home early, get her enrolled in school, make sure she graduated and then she was on her own. After all she did say she could take care of herself and that she was an adult. He thought bitterly to himself.

Of course the alcohol was playing a big part in his way of thinking, but he was sober enough to know that he was going to stick with that plan.

**Back In The Bus**

"Do you think I should go after him?" Ray questioned the bassist.

"Nah man.. Let him cool off first. He'll be okay." Mikey answered.

"Right now I'm more worried about Toni. She's still in the bathroom. She won't come out and she won't talk to me or Jamia." Frank said coming into the conversation after walking from the direction of the bathroom.

Gerard and Ray were now sitting down at the small table trying to frantically remove their makeup from earlier in the night. Bob was passed out in his bunk. Out of all of them he was the only one that had gotten drunk. But he was a sleepy drunk so he was easy to handle.

Jamia was still crouched next to the bathroom door, quietly trying to encourage the teen to come out of her hiding place.

It was no use.

"Maybe you should try Mikes, She listens to you... sometimes." Gerard suggested from his seat.

"Yeah okay... it's worth a shot." Mikey said unsure of himself, heading to where Jamia was seated.

She got up from the floor and let Mikey stand where she had been sitting. He knocked lightly on the flimsy wooden door.

" Toni?" He began... a little nervous of what the reply would be. But there was none.

"Hey it's me... will you come out and talk to us?" He said softly and hopefully.

"NO" Was the simple yet effective answer that came from the other side of the door.

" What if it was just me?" Mikey asked trying a slightly different approach.

There was a few minutes silence when there was some shuffling coming from inside the bathroom. Toni had move closer towards the door.

"Just you?" Came the small voice that he had wanted to hear.

"Just me" He assured her.

He heard another shuffle and a soft click, he tried his luck and grasped the door handle and slid it to the right. She had unlocked it for him!. He slid it open a little further and slipped in, quickly closing and locking the door behind him to show her that he wasn't lying about it just being him.

She was seated on the floor next to the toilet bowl. He knees drawn close to her body and her arms wrapped around her legs.

Mikey shifted and took a seat next to her on the floor and cleared his throat nervously.

" So... you wanna tell me what that was all about?" Mikey asked, not sure whether she was listening or not.

She just stared ahead at the grubby wall that was in close proximity to their knees.

" I was with some friends...and Donnie. He just came out of nowhere and dragged me back here without a word.... I didn't even get to say goodbye to Donnie and the guys."

She swallowed hard. Her eyes slightly glazed and stinging.

"I didn't mean to." Was all she said.

Mikey's head shot round to meet her sad features.

" Didn't mean to what?" He was totally confused now.

" Call him Dad."

"Isn't it kinda a cool thing that you called him dad?" Mikey wasn't understanding her.

None of the guys knew about what her dad had done in the past. The only one she had told was Brian and he obviously hadn't said anything to the rest of them.

Maybe now was the time to let Mikey in.

"N...no, it's n...not a good thing. It's a really b...bad thing."

There were fresh tears spilling over her rims and down her cheeks.

"Why ?" Mikey asked trying to coax the truth out of her.

It was a while before Toni replied. Like she was thinking really hard about something really important.

"M...my dad wasn't the greatest person in the world." She began. She looked up and into Mikey's eyes.

Should she tell him? What if he thinks she is just being wimp? Ahh what's the worst that she could say now?

"He was always really angry. My mom was always away." She was beginning to sob. She couldn't control her breathing for very much longer.

" I would get in from school... he would get m...mad. I don't know w...what I did. Mom wouldn't be there. H... he would c...ome into my room a...and...."

Mikey had already heard enough to know what she was talking about. In one swift movement he lightly grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her sobbing form close, trying desperately to get her to steady her breathing.